HL黑料门不打烊

To cap off her first course at HL黑料门不打烊, Shannae Greene 鈥�25 and her classmates were tasked with a presentation that would answer the question: 鈥淗ow would you make the world a better place?鈥� Greene knew immediately how she鈥檇 respond to the prompt: evening childcare to help empower working families.

鈥淐hildcare is always 6 to 6, so what about people who work swing shifts or different hours?鈥� asked Greene, a business management major. 鈥淪o many people struggle with childcare, so I thought after-hours childcare was something that could really help a modern family.鈥�

Greene鈥檚 presentation on nontraditional childcare was a passion project that hit close to home. During her time in the Air Force, Greene was required to work 24-hour rotating shifts, and she struggled to find reliable childcare for her young daughter because of her unusual schedule.

With few childcare options available to meet her demanding work schedule, Greene was forced to retire from the military. She began working full-time as a property manager and enrolled as a student in HL黑料门不打烊 Professional Advancement, a suite of flexible and affordable bachelor鈥檚 degree programs specifically designed for working adults.

Not long after her presentation, Greene discovered that HL黑料门不打烊 was launching an evening childcare program for students in the College鈥檚 Hamilton Holt School, which administers HL黑料门不打烊鈥� Professional Advancement and Graduate Studies programs.

She quickly enrolled her 5-year-old daughter, Rylii.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a struggle for me, honestly,鈥� says Greene. 鈥淪ince she was born, I鈥檝e struggled with childcare, and this program made it so I could go to school. For me, this is life-changing.鈥�

Flexibility to Thrive

Launched this fall thanks to a gift from the Warren and Augusta Hume Foundation, HL黑料门不打烊鈥� Evening EduCare program offers high-quality childcare for children ages 5 to 11 while their parents attend evening classes on campus.

The program, which is housed in the Hume House Child Development & Student Research Center on campus, operates Monday through Thursday from 4:15 to 9:30 p.m. Parents can enroll their children in nine different time blocks鈥攁ll of which start and end within 15 minutes of HL黑料门不打烊鈥� evening class times.

For the fall 2024, spring 2025, and summer 2025 semesters, the program costs just $5 per hour. Thanks to the Hume Foundation鈥檚 gift, the program will be free for eligible students beginning in fall 2025.

The program鈥檚 goal is not only to serve students currently enrolled in HL黑料门不打烊鈥� Professional Advancement and Graduate Studies programs but also to make it possible for more adult learners to realize their dreams of finishing a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, most parents, regardless of their kids鈥� ages, have no childcare arrangement, and 47 percent of adults say that a lack of childcare is a barrier to enrolling in college. Yet few institutions offer similar programs.

鈥淭o my knowledge, there is no other service like this in the Central Florida community,鈥� says Alice Davidson, a HL黑料门不打烊 psychology professor and executive director of Hume House. 鈥淭here are some schools with daycare programs, but what sets this apart is the evening care that runs until 9:30 p.m., and it鈥檚 of high quality.鈥�

It鈥檚 a level of quality that Greene and her daughter responded to immediately.

鈥淎t her after-school program, every time I pick her up, she鈥檚 off by herself and they watch a lot of TV,鈥� says Greene. 鈥淭he quality at HL黑料门不打烊 is way better, and the people actually care about her. There are no iPads, which I love, and the attention she gets is more positive.鈥�

Set Up for Success

Parents aren鈥檛 the only ones the EduCare program is designed to support. It was also created to help their children thrive.

鈥淢any after-school programs are designed primarily to keep children safe, often with high child-to-adult ratios and limited enrichment activities,鈥� says Davidson. 鈥淥ur goal is to provide an inclusive, developmentally appropriate environment for school-age children that nurtures their academic, physical, social, and emotional growth.鈥�

To meet this goal, the EduCare team focuses on engaging activities for children that range from science and nature exploration to arts and crafts, math games, music, and movement鈥攁ll of which are formatted to align with national standards like the School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS).

The EduCare staff is led by Laurie Pritchard, an early childhood professional with more than 25 years of experience in the field, including two decades of classroom experience and six years in administration. In addition to Pritchard, the EduCare team also includes experienced teachers and assistant teachers as well as an inclusion specialist. Students from HL黑料门不打烊鈥� Bonner Leaders Program, a community service-focused scholarship program, also volunteer alongside the staff.

While there is structure, Davidson notes that the program is also flexible enough to adapt to the children鈥檚 needs.

鈥淲e recognize that these kids have been in school all day, so our teachers plan fun activities like bracelet making or campus walks, but they鈥檙e ready to switch gears if the children just need to unwind,鈥� says Davidson.

Like HL黑料门不打烊, the EduCare program provides a personalized learning environment, with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:6鈥攆ar lower than the 1:25 ratio required by Florida law. It鈥檚 a level of attention Rylii can鈥檛 get enough of.

鈥淢y daughter is very spunky, outgoing, and talkative, so she loves that attention,鈥� says Greene. 鈥淎nd she鈥檚 always asking to see [the teachers]. We call [the EduCare program], after-aftercare. So she always says, 鈥業 want to go to after-aftercare.鈥欌��

More Than Affordable Childcare

For Rylii, each evening at 鈥榓fter-aftercare鈥� brings the promise of a new adventure鈥攁nd no screens.

Her time is filled with activities she鈥檚 already passionate about like puzzles and coloring sheets. She also discovers new things she hasn鈥檛 learned at school, like how to write her name in cursive, what star fruit looks and tastes like, and what it鈥檚 like to go to college.

鈥淣ot only is Rylii going to this aftercare program on a college campus, but she鈥檚 also interacting with college-educated teachers and college students,鈥� says Davidson. 鈥淩ylii is getting this level of comfort and familiarity with the college environment that her mom, as a first-generation college student, did not have.鈥�

It鈥檚 not just the activities or the relationships that have made a difference for Greene. It鈥檚 what it means for families like hers鈥攖he same ones she was inspired to help during that introductory class at HL黑料门不打烊.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want people not to have families and only focus on work all the time,鈥� says Greene. 鈥淭here has to be a balance, and this program offers that to me.鈥�